The Health Identifiers Review is being conducted by the Department of Health, with the objective of increasing the usage of Health Identifiers in the health system. Research Australia is seeking an amendment to the Health Identifiers Act to explicitly permit Health Identifiers to be used when preparing datasets for research purposes.
Research Australia’s response to the consultation is available here.
Research Australia has used its submission to the Senate Economics Legislation Committee Inquiry into the National Reconstruction Fund Bill to urge the Committee to recommend the passage of the Bill, subject to two amendments proposed by Research Australia.
Research Australia believes the National Reconstruction Fund provides the opportunity to better leverage Australia’s world leading health and medical research and create a vibrant and successful medical products industry which propels Australia forward to become a net exporter of medical products.
Doing so would provide significant benefits for Australians with more secure access to medical products, better health outcomes and the creation of well-paying jobs and new businesses in a sector that has enormous scope for ongoing global growth.
The proposed amendments are:
Research Australia’s submission is available here.
Research Australia believes the National Reconstruction Fund (NRF) has a vital role to play in creating a mature and vibrant domestic medical products industry as a cornerstone of a post-carbon Australian economy.
We have made four recommendations in response to the consultation on the implementation of the NRF:
Research Australia’s submission addresses most of the questions posed in the consultation paper. The submission is available here.
The Australian Government’s draft Dementia Action Plan has recognised the importance of more research to improving the lives of those living with dementia, their family and carers but has not proposed any actions that will lead to more research being funded.
Research Australia’s submission has addressed this shortfall, and proposed the draft Dementia Research Strategy draw on the work undertaken by the now defunct NHMRC National Institute for Dementia Research. We have also recommended the proposed Australian Dementia Research Strategy be an ‘Australian Dementia Research, Innovation and Implementation Strategy’ to better meet the Action Plan’s objective of maximising the impact of research and innovation. Accountability for implementation of research outcomes and the funding of this activity needs to be clearly assigned by the Action Plan and the Strategy.
Research Australia’s submission is available here.
Research Australia’s Pre-Budget submission to the Treasurer acknowledges the progress made since the election. This includes putting Australian innovation and industry on a stronger footing by introducing the legislation to create the National Reconstruction Fund and Australia’s Economic Accelerator (first proposed by the previous Government). These measures are recognition the Government shares Research Australia’s view that it is no longer good enough to just sell off our best ideas to the rest of the world.
Australia has world leading health and medical research but current investment is inadequate, poorly aligned and failing to deliver on the potential health and economic benefits. In summary, Research Australia has recommended:
On 30 August 2022, the Minister for Education, announced an independent review of the ARC Act to consider the role and purpose of the ARC within the Australian research system so it can meet current and future needs and maintain the trust of the research sector.
The Expert Panel appointed to undertake the Review issued a consultation paper which included specific questions respondents were asked to address.
Research funding from the Australian Research Council (ARC) is relevant to Research Australia’s membership because, while the ARC does not fund ‘medical research’, the ARC funds much of the basic research that underpins health and medical research, as well as supporting the broader research ecosystem.
Research Australia’s responses were directed to specific questions relevant to our membership.
Research Australia’s submission is available here.
In November 2022, The Commonwealth Department of Health commenced a targeted consultation on the proposal to develop an Australian Centre for Disease Control (CDC). Research Australia participated in a consultation workshop on 24 November and was invited to make a submission in response to a consultation paper.
Most of the CDC’s functions will relate to provision of healthcare and prevention measures. Research Australia’s responses were directed towards areas where health and medical research and innovation is most relevant to the CDC and can provide the most support for its proposed functions. Key points include the:
In October 2022, The Commonwealth Department of Health released a draft National Health Literacy Strategy for consultation. The new Health Literacy strategy is being developed under the National Preventive Health Strategy 2021-2030. As such the Literacy Strategy is intended to provide the public with the skills and abilities to maintain their own health and wellbeing as well as improve interactions with the health system.
Research Australia’s submission to the consultation emphasised the role research can play in supporting the implementation of the Strategy, and the need to recognise older Australians as a priority target population.
Research Australia’s submission is available here.
Research Australia’s submission ahead of the Alabnese Government’s first Budget, to be handed down in October, acknowledges the large debt the Government is faced with. In keeping with the Government’s objective to fund activities that will boost productivity, we have outlined how investing in health and medical research can help grow Australia’s economy and provide well paid jobs, now and for future generations.
We have reiterated the need for a National Health and Medical Research Strategy and for a research workforce plan to support this objective.
Research Australia’s submission is available here.
Following passage of the Data Availability and Transparency Act earlier this year, the National Data Commissioner has now released a draft Code of Conduct to provide further guidance on how to apply the data sharing principles, privacy protections, the public interest test and ethics requirements, as well as data sharing agreements.
The definition of ‘data project output’ continues to be problematic, with the terms ‘output’, ‘final output’ and ‘use of a data output’ all used ambiguously. It appears there are some circumstances in which the use of a data output is itself a data output and others where it is not, but the distinction is not clear. This is important because data outputs are regulated by the Act and the Code.
Research Australia’s submission addresses this issue and a number of others, including the public interest test and the circumstances in which designated persons need to be identified in a Data Sharing Agreement.
The final Data Code was published on 16 December 2022 and is available here.
